New Women's Health Website is Like Wikipedia for Your Vagina

Have a question about your vagina? You're in luck. According to Broadly, a new world-wide resource is here and it's a life-saver for your vag.

Gynopedia is a new website that crowdsources information on women's health with the goal of empowering women everywhere to live their healthiest, most informed lives. On the site, Gynopedia describes itself as an "open resource wiki for sexual, reproductive and women's health care across the globe." The site is searchable by city, allowing women everywhere to see what the rules and regulations regarding women's health in their area are, and guiding them to nearby healthcare resources.

On the site, you can search your city to find out how to get birth control, where you can get an STI screening, what restrictions on abortion are in place in your state, and other key health info. Currently, the site covers 67 cities in 48 countries in Africa, Asia, and North and South America, Broadly reports.

The idea for Gynopedia came after founder Lani Fried found herself planning a trip to Asia with no idea what her healthcare would be like should she need it while away from home in New York City.

"I suddenly realized that I was completely clueless on how I would deal with things like birth control in the dozen countries I would visit, if I had the need to," she told Broadly. "Or a pap smear. Or any access to sexual health care."

While this is definitely a handy tool for travelers, it's also great for people who need help in their hometowns. Sometimes accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare can be daunting if you've never done it before, are in crisis, or just don't know where to look. It can be especially daunting as more and more restrictions on reproductive health become law, including increasing abortion restrictions. Having this information at our fingertips is empowering.

"Gynopedia offers a way to take action from home," Lani told Broadly. "When I started it, I was driven by the belief that women, and all people no matter their genders, should be able to make decisions about their own bodies. Whether they choose to become parents or have an abortion, to use birth control or not, the choice is theirs to make. Women's health decisions shouldn't be a political issue."

The information on Gynopedia is gathered through research and community outreach, but it's also gathered through contributions from women across the world. If information from your city is missing, go ahead and create it yourself.